Live By Night: ideal for a glam night in

Glam up: Live By Night brings the post-war 1920s to your living roomCredit:
Getty

29 September 2017 • 11:00am

Fancy a glamorous night without leaving the comfort of your house? Digitally download Live By Night and all the glitz of the roaring 1920s will instantly be right there in your living room

Set during the prohibition era, when the outfits were as decadent as the parties, Live By Night is a fast-paced crime drama written, directed by and starring Ben Affleck.

In 1920s Boston, alcohol may be banned, but a network of underground speakeasies ensure the nightlife is sizzling, the parties scandalous — and the outfits fabulous.

Sienna Miller plays Affleck’s love interest, Emma — an Irish gangster’s moll with a spectacular sense of style. Costume designer Jacqueline West has recreated the glamour of the era in exquisite detail, with beautiful beaded flapper dresses, intricate headpieces and piles of pearls. Later in the film we meet Zoe Saldana’s character, Graciela, whose delicate tea dresses offer a flipside of 1920s fashion.

The clothes are a sign of the changing post-war times, says vintage fashion expert Claire Quartermaine, founder of The House of Foxy. “Evening styles were revolutionary,” she says. “In the 1920s, hemlines were short, make-up was extravagant and women, for the first time, could dance, go out and be free.”

Women wore dresses with simple lines and boyish shapes, with the focus on details such as the fabric (velvet, silk and beaded), hemlines (mid-calf, often asymmetric) and geometric art deco prints. Daywear was simpler but equally stylish.“Coats were billowing and women wore cloche hats,” says Quartermaine. “Shoes were Mary Janes with a T-bar.”

A network of underground speakeasies ensure the nightlife is sizzling, the parties scandalous — and the outfits fabulous

If the film inspires you to channel the look at home and make a 1920s-themed night of it, the first step is to pile on the accessories.

“Key accessories were art deco earrings, dress clips, feathers, headbands, long strings of pearls, beaded clutch bags, small bags with chain handles and faux fur stoles,” says Quartermaine. Get some elasticated ribbon and pretty feathers and you can even make your own DIY headbands while watching the movie.

Raid your make-up bag for bold lipsticks, too. “This was the first time that many women really wore make-up so they went to town on it!” says Quartermaine. “They wore smokey eyes with eyebrows worn high and narrow. Lips were deep in plums with a strong line.”

The hairstyle of the time was a bob – but if you don’t want to take to the scissors, try pinning your hair under at the back for a temporary flapper fix. While your vintage style might only last the evening, once you’ve digitally downloaded Live By Night, it’s yours to keep and watch on any device – so you can take a trip back to the roaring twenties whenever the feeling takes hold.